The One Who Calls Me Hime
by xpaperlovex
Summary: "Promise me," I had cried out in plea after he obdurately refused to address me otherwise. "Promise me that you won't let this affect our friendship; that we'll still be as close to each other from now on." "I promise, Hime," he had replied. But both of us knew his words didn't mean a thing. {RenjixOC} AU setting.
1. Prologue

**『私の姫を呼び出し人』**

**序章**

_Prologue_

_The two of them raced each other up the small hill to the maple tree. The boy, striking red hair up in a ponytail, arrived at their finish line first, slamming his palm into the trunk of the tree and letting out a triumphant _"Ha!"

"_That's my thirty-seventh win, Kō-chan~" He sang teasingly at the girl who appeared seconds after him, breathless. _

"_It's not fair!" The girl cried out in dismay, shaking her chestnut hair out of her eyes. "You started earlier this time round!"_

"_Excuses, excuses," her male companion mocked, shaking a finger condescendingly down at her. "Even if _you_ were the one who started earlier, I would still have won."_

"_As if," the girl scoffed, glaring at the boy. "Haven't you heard of letting the lady win every now and then?"_

"_Ah," the boy replied, the infuriating smirk still on his face. "But that will _truly_ be unfair, wouldn't it, Kō-chan?"_

"_Besides," he continued to snicker, as the girl fumed in silence. "You're not much of a lady in the first place, so that won't apply to you."_

_The girl's jaw dropped in astonishment at his words. "Th-That's mean!" she finally spluttered out, her face slowly turning crimson. "I _will_ become a fine lady one day, just wait and see!" _

"_Key word is 'one day'-", but something caught the boy's eyes, making him stop mid-sentence. He shoved his face closer to the girl's, out of curiosity, plus a tinge of guilt. "Oi, Kō-chan, you aren't crying again, are you?"_

"_I'm_ not _crying," the girl protested, shrinking back from his sudden closeness. The boy, satisfied that she wasn't really shedding tears, withdrew, and proceeded on to tease her._

"_Are you sure you're not? Ko-u-cha-n no na-ki-mu-shi*."_

_The girl shrieked in fury and lashed out at the boy, who only jumped back, easily avoiding the blow. "Yare yare, that's not very lady-like of you." _

"_I told you to stop calling me that!" She yelled after him. "I will never talk to you again, Renji no baka!"_

"_No, you won't," the boy dubbed Renji snorted in reply, settling himself down comfortably on the grassy slope, resting his head on his crossed arms. "I'm the only friend you have around here. You can't not talk to me." The girl huffed in defiance and sat down at the foot of the maple tree, taking note to turn her back towards him. She _would_ shun him, she thought angrily to herself. She would ignore him forever, if that was what it takes._

_Unsurprisingly, her _forever_ lasted for three minutes._

_When she finally plopped herself down next to the red-head boy, bored half out of her mind with the lack of company, the boy didn't reopen his eyes, though a smug grin was plastered on his face. But to his credit, he didn't make a smart comment about it, instead wordlessly accepting his friend's presence._

"_Today Akashi-sensei was asking me to write an essay about my dreams for the future," the girl broke the silence between them. _

"_Hm?" the boy cracked open an eye lazily. "And what did you write?"_

"_I wrote..." Ash-grey eyes fluttered close, as the girl tilted her face upwards slightly to enjoy the gentle spring breeze. "I wrote that when I grow up, I hoped to become a herbalist, to meet a handsome, kind man, marry him-"_

"_It wouldn't matter if he's rich or not?" the boy, whose ends of the lips had twitched when she talked, started, before composing himself. "Then again I guess money would be the least of your worries."_

"_As long as he loves me back, it'll be enough," the girl said firmly, gazing dreamily into the distance. _

_The boy snorted. "That's what everyone says."_

"_We'd marry, and have, probably, two kids – a girl and a boy. But the girl will only come after the boy because then the boy could always have a younger sister to look after. I even thought of their names already! Junpei and Hota-"_

"_Whoa, Kō-chan!" the boy raised both hands to stop the girl from progressing any further. "I'm quite sure I didn't need to know all these."_

"_Well, you asked," the girl pouted, as she waved his hands away irritably. A moment passed which she spent in sulky silence, before she asked again._

"_Ne, so what do you envision your future to be like, Renji?"_

"_That's easy," the red-haired boy scoffed, before sitting up and declaring. "My fate is tied to you, Kō-chan. I am your guardian – wherever you go, I will follow; whatever you do, I will be there to protect you. That's my past, present and future."_

"_Sō ka," The girl seated beside him giggled softly, her chocolate brown tresses swaying lightly in the wind. "So I'd be stuck with you forever, whether I like it or not?" The boy turned to her and returned her grin._

"_Forever," he promised._

* * *

*Nakimushi (泣き虫) means crybaby. So 'Kō-chan no nakimushi' means 'crybaby Kō-chan'. Similarly for 'Renji no baka'.

**This is the "first chapter" that I promised in my previous story, heh. The actual first chapter might or might not come by the end of this week, sorry.**

**Believe it or not, I first received inspiration for this story when watching my parents watching a drama series (and I wasn't even the one watching it, lol). It has quite a classic plot-line but makes for quite a lovely story, I feel. Also, ****I wanted to try setting this in an alternate universe (which would make itself clearer to y'all in the following chapters) as I noticed that most Bleach fanfictions didn't depict such settings and I thought it would be interesting to try :]**

******Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**PS. This didn't appear yet but 'Hime' is pronounced as hee-mei. (Not hai-m, hai-me, or whatnot.) It's taken to mean "Princess" in Japanese.**


	2. Chapter 1

**『私の姫を呼び出し人』**

**第一章：保護者**

_Guardian_

I sat at my dressing table, musing on the reflection in the mirror. Pale features, cascading chestnut-brown hair, ash-grey eyes, cheeks that still retained some of their baby fats – Fujitsubo Kōyō stared blankly back. I caught sight of the faint shadows under my eyes and my brows furrowed slightly, and I reached up to rub at them. There had been a single reason as to why I found it hard to fall asleep these days, why I spent hours awake tossing and turning on my _futon_. _But there was no use in thinking about that now,_ I let out a sigh as I picked up the wooden comb from the table and ran it through my hair.

_I was to be married the day after tomorrow._

The thought, despite my efforts, came invading my mind. And even as I worked through the tangles in my shock of brown, it persistently remained, tugging at the edge of my consciousness; similar to how I would tug the hem of Otō-sama's sleeves to catch his attention when I was younger. It would continue to haunt me, I knew, all the way till the wedding was over.

_The day after tomorrow._

Finally finished grooming, I offered my reflection a tiny, encouraging smile, before rising up from the cushioned stool. With practiced grace, I left the room, remembering to slide the _fusuma*_ door shut behind me. As I padded down the corridor to the other wings of the house, I encountered Hiura, a servant that had belonged to our house for many years. His family was said to have served the Fujitsubo clan for several generations already.

"Ohayō gozaimasu, Kōyō-hime," he greeted, bowing respectfully. I frowned.

"I told you not to call me that, Hiura-san," I said, as he raised his head.

"Sumimasen," he smiled apologetically back. "But that's Kōyō-sama's rightful title now."

"I don't care," I refused stubbornly. "I don't want to hear anyone addressing me that way. It's annoying." The servant only bowed his head again in compliance, before speaking again.

"_Shujin-dono*_ had requested for your presence in his study when you were to wake."

"Ah, wakatteru, Hiura-san," I nodded in understanding. "Arigatō na. I'll head there myself, you won't have to accompany me." Hiura bowed in respect one last time, before shuffling off down the corridor, and I walked, in the opposite direction, towards Otō-sama's private study.

"Haire," came Otō-sama's command to enter, and I did so, bowing once at the door, and sliding it close behind me. The forty-over man seated at the mahogany desk finished scribing his last sentence, his brush making soft sounds as it marked the paper with his elegant calligraphy writing, before looking up at me, kneeling at the door.

"Ohayō-gozaimasu, Otō-sama."

"Ohayō," came the man's reply. Then, "Have you had a good night's sleep?"

"I had as much as sleep as I needed, Otō-sama," I replied carefully, not wanting to reveal that I had had problems falling asleep yet not wanting to lie at the same time. Otō-sama's grey eyes, the same grey eyes I had inherited, shot me a piercing gaze, and I had the feeling that he knew more than what I was letting on.

"You have a long day ahead of you, Kōyō. Ensure that you have a filling meal before you leave."

"Hai, Otō-sama," I answered, grateful that he chose not to question me any further.

"Also, do go and wake Renji up," Otō-sama continued, dipping his brush back into his inkwell once again. "You two are set to depart in an hour, and we both know how late he usually wakes."

"Hai," I replied again, standing up and preparing to leave the room. But before I could, the man at the table called out after me.

"Kōyō."

"Yes, Otō-sama?"

"I'll see you the day after tomorrow." _The day after tomorrow. At the wedding._

"Hai, Otō-sama," I said for the last time, a gentle smile gracing my lips at his rare display of affection. "Matta ne."

* * *

Again, I was treading down the hushed corridors, passing room after room. Pretty soon, I was at the eastern wing of the compound, entering the servant's quarters. My feet carried me to the door situated near the end of the corridor, having memorised which exact door belonged to my guardian's room years ago. A few servants scrambled past, stopping to mumble a hasty "Ohayō-gozaimasu, Kōyō-sama." At least they knew what _not_ to address me by_,_ and I felt slightly better.

_No one should ever have to call me by Hime. _

I knocked on the _fusuma_ door lightly. When there was no response, I rapped on it again, a tad more impatiently this time, and calling out through the layers of paper, "Renji! Wake up! It's almost time for us to go!"

"I'm right here, Hime."

_Only one person continues calling me by that._

I jumped, before spinning around to face a tall and well-built man, his crimson tresses tied up in its usual ponytail. "Don't do that! You scared me."

"Warui warui," Renji apologised offhandedly, stifling a yawn. He_ did_ only just wake up. "Hora, look what I've got." He lifted one arm and I noticed for the first time the grass-woven basket dangling from it.

"You nicked food from the kitchen again!" I accused, not for the first time. Renji's persistent habit of visiting the kitchen for obvious reasons since young was well known throughout the household. The cook, delighted by having someone enjoy her cooking so much more than anything, pampered him with treats and leftovers too often, I felt.

"Ii ja," Renji waved it off, knowing no shame. "It's not really considered nicking if the cook prepared it specially for us and even gave it in a basket." If we had been younger, I would have swatted him on his thick head, but he was nineteen now, I seventeen, and towered over me by one and a half head. Instead, I settled for an elbow in the ribs. Renji only grinned that lazy grin of his.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have ya, Hime? Then let's go." With that, he grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me down the corridor and towards the outdoors.

"I told you not to call me by that," I grumbled behind him. But I knew there was no use. Once Renji started calling me by that title, he hadn't stopped once, except for the rare occasions when he forgets and accidentally addresses me by '_Kō-chan' _again. When it _does_ happen, I would shout in happy triumph "_Ha! You called me normally!" _but he would only refute it stubbornly, claiming that he hadn't when we both knew he had. It irked me terribly at first, but having to hear him call me by that every single day, I had come to grudgingly accept that he would never cease.

_He was, and would always be, the only one who calls me Hime._

Before long, we had reached the giant maple tree that stood on a gentle hill within the Fujitsubo grounds. Renji immediately plopped himself down on the grass and started rummaging through the contents of the basket.

"Wow, look at that! She gave us a lot today. Well, I guess it is to be expected – it is our last time enjoying her cooking, after all."

I only sighed in resignation and settled myself down next to him, taking care to smooth out the creases in my robes. Renji was already wolfing down an _onigiri_, and I accepted the one he was offering with his other hand, a small smile tugging at my lips. Despite years of residing in the noble household of a _daimyō_*, Renji never once mastered how to carry himself with the right amount of etiquette, with hints of his street rogue self peeping through from time to time. At first glance, it was hard to tell that he belonged to an aristocratic family, a _samurai_, one of the high-status warriors under the charge of my father. Much less with the striking tattoos decorating his forehead and chest, which Renji, had, painstakingly drew them on himself to signify that he _wasn't _of noble blood. He wasn't, and he was proud of it.

_My first meeting with Abarai Renji had been less than pleasant._

_It had been an autumn day, a day where the maple tree bore crisp, golden leaves that once in a while detached themselves from the branches and floated down towards the earth. I was outdoors, entertaining myself by picking up the fallen autumn leaves and fashioning them into a castle (_though how my six-year-old self managed to imagine a pile of dead leaves as a castle I would never know_)_.

_When I was stretching out my hand to pick another one off the ground, a bare foot appeared in front of me and stepped on the leaf. I looked up in surprise, and a boy, with bold red hair tied up in a ponytail, gazed down at me. Too intent had I been in my search for leaves that I had completely failed to notice his presence. Upon seeing that he was of my age, I immediately felt shy – being the only child who hardly left her family's huge compound, it was rare to meet someone of the same age. My social skills at that time could be said to be non-existent. _

"_Yo," he said. "Omae* wa dare?"_

Who are you?_ I thought, suddenly offended by the way he spoke to me. _More like, who are _you_? _But I remembered my courtesy and politely replied, "Kōyō*, Fujitsubo Kōyō." I watched the boy's gaze drift upwards towards the maple tree and its bright red colours for a split second, and I secretly felt proud that he noticed what my name symbolised. _

"_Sō ka," he replied. "So you live here." I scoffed at his dumb remark._

"_Of course I live here!" I responded with a hint of arrogant pride. "Otō-sama, Fujitsubo Kōichi, is the local daimyō." _

"_I figured as much," the boy suddenly grinned. But then his tone changed and he was serious, almost musing, as he said. "Your father is a nice man, though." _

"_Otō-sama is a _great_ man," I corrected, though I wondered how he knew Otō-sama. "My family is highly-respected throughout the land."_

"_Well, aren't ya a proud one?" the boy snickered, and I was momentarily taken aback by his snide comment. _How dare he!And who was he to judge? _I quickly appraised the tattered rags barely hanging onto his scrawny body, and turned my nose up at him in disgust. But that only amused him further, and he continued snickering. _

"_Who are you, and what are you doing here?" I asked rather rudely, all traces of courtesy gone. "No one is allowed to trespass here without permission."_

"_Whoa, calm down, Kō-chan." My eyebrow immediately twitched irritably at his casual use of my name. No one had ever called me that before. "I'll be hanging around here quite a bit, so we might as well try to get to know each other, ne? Here, let me help you." He bent down and picked up the maple leaf that he had been stepping on all along. However, I shoved his hand away in rejection, and he leapt back defensively, lost his balance..._

_And fell into the pile of leaves right behind him._

_I watched with wide eyes as the heap of autumn leaves, the heap that was still comparatively small but nevertheless took me the whole afternoon to gather, dispersed at the sudden weight of the boy. Watched as the leaves showered over the boy as he stood up and rubbed his bottom ruefully. My face was slowly heating up and I knew my face was turning an ugly shade of red. _

An ugly shade of red like his hair. Like the hair of the boy who single-handedly destroyed my hard work.

"_Warui," the boy apologised, though he didn't sound sorry at all. "I'll rebuild that for ya- Hey, don't cry! I said I'd rebuild that, didn't I?" For the tears had come, hot streams of liquid that trickled down my cheeks, and my insides burned with intense hate for the boy in front of me, as much hate as a six-year-old could muster. _

_The boy tried another tactic, continuing in a teasing voice. "You know if you continue to cry, you'd be a cry-baby! __Kō-chan no nakimush- Hey! Where are you going! I said I'm sorry! Kō-chan?" It had an adverse effect and I had started to stalk away furiously down the hill and back to the buildings. I went straight to my room, where I plopped onto my futon face first, gritted my teeth, and let the angry tears roll down my cheeks. If okā-sama was here, I would be running into her reassuring embrace right now. But she wasn't*, and I knew better than to approach otō-sama for he would offer no condolence and only sternly order me to stop crying. In the comfort of my room, I swore I would never have anything to do with the boy ever again._

_Unfortunately for me, my second meeting with the boy was in the evening of the same day._

"_Kōyō-sama." Our servant, Hiura, had come to my room under the orders of Otō-sama. "_Shujin-dono_ had summoned you to his study room."_

"_Arigatō na, Hiura-san," I rolled out of the bed, rubbed the tearstains away from my cheeks and followed the grey-haired servant to Otō-sama's private study room. Upon reaching, Hiura knelt down at the _shōji_ door, before announcing in an audible voice, "Kōyō-sama has arrived, as you requested, _shujin-dono_." _

"_Haire," came Otō-sama's baritone voice from within the room. I slid open the door, bowed once respectfully and entered the study room, before closing the _shōji_ noiselessly behind me and kneeling down on the tatami-padded floor. I always treasured what little opportunity I had to enter this particular room. The shelves filled with scrolls, the smell of fresh ink, the vast windows that offered a charming view of the courtyard, the koi-pond in the centre, and the maple tree in the backdrop – all served to calm my nerves and allow me to feel at peace. _

_But today, I was not to be calmed._

"_Kōyō," Otō-sama spoke again, his deep voice resounding within the spacious room. But my attention, instead of being on him, was immediately drawn to the boy with the red ponytail standing a bit nervously beside him, looking uncomfortable and out-of-place in a foreign surrounding._

"_This is Abarai Renji. He would be staying with us here from now on."_

_The boy looked sheepishly up at me. His eyes were of a golden brown, I noticed. "Hey, Kō-chan."_

This was not happening, this was _not_ happening.

_I continued to gape at the redheaded boy as Otō-sama went on to explain how he had been on one of his regular trips to the village and had bore witness to how a particular boy had appeared out of the blue to save another, younger boy from being beaten up by a shopkeeper. The younger street boy, driven by thirst, had stolen a jug of water from the shop but had been caught by a furious shopkeeper. The second boy, with messy red hair tied up in a ponytail, had, moments before the man lashed out at the boy, jumped off the room and onto the shopkeeper, wrapping his legs around him to restrict his movements and prevent him from chasing after the younger boy who took flight. However, the redheaded boy, though he put up a good fight, was caught instead. But when the shopkeeper was about to stamp his foot into the boy's stomach, as he lay defeated in the dirt, Otõ-sama had stepped in and stopped the man. He had then paid for the stolen jug of water and offered the boy, who was picking himself up from the ground, a home._

"_He was willing to risk his life for another, displaying astounding qualities at such a young age," Otō-sama continued. "I have hence decided that he is to grow up learning the ways of a_ samurai _and have taken him under my wing. I have also decided on one more thing:"_

Not happening, not happening...

"_He would be your personal servant and guardian from now on, Kōyō. It would do you well to acquaint yourself with him." _

"_Yoroshiku," the boy named Renji greeted, a bit too cheerfully. "Please take care of me." When I didn't respond likewise, Otō-sama shot me a stern, warning look._

"_Where are your manners, Kōyō?"_

Gone when he fell into my leaf pile,_ I thought to myself. But I obeyed and managed a stiff curtsy. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." I did not smile._

"_You are to show him around the house, Kōyō." And I groaned inwardly, being careful not to let my expression give me away. "Be kind – I will expect no less from my daughter. You are dismissed."_

"_Hai, Otō-sama," I murmured meekly, before backing out of the room miserably. Renji bounded after me and I made sure to stay constantly a few steps ahead of him, so that he would have no chance to strike up as conversation as I led him through the maze of rooms that was my house._

"_This is the kitchen, this is the servants' quarters." My introductions were short and straight to the point, leaving no room for questioning. Renji followed, awe written all over his face as we moved from room to room, with an occasional _'Suge! It's huge!', showing keen interest in the kitchen. _When we reached his bedroom, though, he gave a whoop of joy and rushed in, collapsing straight onto the_ futon_ in the centre. I looked on disapprovingly at his behaviour. My own room was three times larger than his cramped one and yet it managed to evoke such excitement from him. One would have thought he never had his own room before._

Then again,_ I reminded myself, _he was one of those street orphans after all, probably with no place called home before this.

_When we were finally finished with the tour of the house, I was slightly exhausted from keeping up with his constantly high level of energy, and was about to head for a warm dinner. But Renji stopped me._

"_Matte," he ordered me to wait, before grinning, a hand reaching behind to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Thanks for showing me around, Kō-chan. I have something to thank you by." I was about to reply, '_I don't need your gratitude_', but he grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me through the corridors and into the outside (_"Let go of me!"_). The sun was setting in the far west, the beams of evening sun threw shadows across the grounds and I remembered catching glints of gold in the boy's shock of red hair._

_To my surprise, he brought me to the maple tree where we had met earlier that day._

"_Hora," he said, stopping as he gestured proudly at something at the foot of the tree. "Here it is, as good as new."_

_It was the same heap of autumn leaves that I had been trying to build all afternoon. _No, it wasn't the same. _It was bigger, and I realised that he had even added the leaves that I had not yet picked up to the pile. I then noticed that his neck and back was slick with sweat._

"_I'm sorry about what happened just now...really. Let's start anew, shall we?" He extended a hand to me, a hand that was tanned and already calloused by his years of life as a street urchin. "Boku wa Abarai Renji da." _

_When I did nothing in return, he frowned. "Isn't this what you nobles do? Handshaking when you first meet?"_

_That finally did it. I reached to accept his handshake. My hand was strikingly pale and untainted in comparison to his. We shook, and for the first time, I offered him a smile._

"_Kōyō. Fujitsubo Kōyō."_

When I looked over to Renji again, he had already finished his second _onigiri_, his third _taiyaki,_ and was licking the oil off his fingers. He caught me looking and his inked brows creased into a slight frown.

"You're not eating, Hime." I looked down at the _onigiri_ in my hands and realised it was true. I'd only taken a few nibbles out of the rice ball.

"Not particularly hungry," I sighed.

"Nervous?" Renji inquired, his gaze unusually gentle.

"I guess. And," A shudder ran through me. "I do have to fit into those _kimono_s the day after tomorrow so it's better not to eat too much." I have always loathed dressing up in those awfully thick and heavy garments_._ Sure, they were beautiful and all, but I still much preferred the lighter, more vibrant _yūkata_s in the summer.

Renji snorted. "You don't have to worry about not fitting into them, Hime. It has already been taken care of for you." He was right, once again. I recalled the long, dreary hours where the tailors came over to take my measurements for the specially tailored ceremonial outfits. It had been slightly disconcerting, having to strip naked in front of strangers and have them appraise your body over again and again. But I had seen the end products, and had been secretly pleased at how it only fitted me, and me only.

"You should eat, Hime," Renji offered, softly. "You'd need the energy for later."

I obeyed, taking a larger bite out of my _onigiri_, and took my time to chew the sesame-seasoned rice as I leaned my head against the tree and looked up into the green canopy above. Next to me, Renji leaned back with a satisfied grunt as well.

After completely consuming the rice ball, I spoke. "I wished it was autumn now. Then we could have one last view of the red-brown maple leaves before we leave."

Renji tilted his chin up to look at the leaves hanging above us too. "Well, weddings held in spring are more auspicious. Never understood why you nobles are so particular about such things."

"That's true," I grudgingly agreed. "But autumn is a beautiful season too! I wouldn't mind getting married in a field surrounded by maple tress, with the leaves showering upon us as the ceremony progresses. Imagine, me, Kōyō, getting married surrounded by kōyō, that would be really romant-"

"Ya getting ahead of yourself again, Hime," Renji chuckled, cutting me off, and as I pouted grumpily, he continued. "The marriage will be held in _Ise Jingū_*, though. It's supposedly the holiest shrine in Japan, said to hold the _Yata no Kagami*. _Is that romantic enough for ya?"

_It was,_ I thought. There would be a day and a half's journey to Kyōto, a night spent there, before waking up early in the morning to get showered, made-up, dressed, followed by a five-hour ride to _Ise Jingū_, where the ceremony would take place, then returning back to Kyōto again. I had never travelled further than Edo before, so this was a completely new, exhilarating experience for me.

_But at the same time, it was terrifying. _The foreign prospect of travelling out of familiar grounds, of being betrothed to another – it was enough to set butterflies in my stomach again. I bowed my head and stared at the hand which had, moments ago, held my _onigiri_, trying not to imagine the same _onigiri_ currently churning in my stomach.

"To be honest, I _am_ quite apprehensive," I mumbled to myself, though still loud enough for Renji seated beside me. But the next sentence followed a notch softer, such that the man almost had to lean down to catch my words. "A-About the wedding night...that is." I sensed Renji stiffen beside me and a quick glance revealed his face turned slight away from me, a light red tainting the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Somehow, I found the sight quite amusing, seeing as Renji _never_ felt embarrassed about anything before.

"It-It'd be fine, Hime," he assured, though he stumbled over his own words. "I'm sure it would be..._ah, _what's the word...p-pleasant for you." He was looking more uncomfortable by the second and probably didn't notice that his hand had snatched his fourth _taiyaki_ from the basket and stuffed it into his mouth. I couldn't help it – I laughed.

"Nanda," he demanded, whipping his head back to stare at me crossly. His mouth was still chewing the red-bean paste so his words came out muffled. "What's so funny?"

"Don't eat with your mouth full, jeez," I continued chuckling, before spotting something at the corner of his mouth. "You've gotten some paste on your face, _ahou_." I fished out a silk handkerchief from my robe pockets and reached up to wipe the maroon smudge off his cheek. Renji looked stunned as I did so, even as I folded the handkerchief neatly into squares.

"I'm not a child," he finally grumbled out, as I passed him the tainted fabric.

"It's hard to tell, sometimes," I replied, the corner of my lips quirking. Renji huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms, falling back against the tree again.

"Kōyō-sama." A voice called out from the direction of the compounds, and Hiura appeared, his silver hair glinting in the sun. "Abarai-kun. It's time to leave." Renji stood up, brushing the crumbs off his _hakama_, before helping me up as well.

"Guess we won't be seeing you for a long while," I whispered to the maple tree, gazing up at its towering figure that had been a part of my life as far as I could remember.

"We'll be back to visit," Renji promised.

It was a promise never to be fulfilled, but neither of us was aware of that then.

* * *

_*Fusuma: Traditional Japanese sliding rectangular panels made of a wooden understructure covered in cardboard and a layer of paper or cloth on both sides._  
_*Shujin: Master_  
_*Daimyō: Local lords possessing high status during the Edo period in Japan._  
_*Omae is a rude way of saying 'you'._  
_*Kōyō (紅葉): Directly translates to red leaves, but more often refers to the phenomenon of leaves changing their colours in autumn._  
_*The wives of daimyōs lived in Edo, the central city of Japan at that time, to ensure that the daimyōs would not rebel against the government._  
_*Shōji: Traditional Japanese sliding room dividers made of translucent paper held together by a wooden lattice._  
_*Ise Jingū (伊勢神宮): Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, mostly reserved for the Japanese imperial family._  
_*Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡): Sacred Mirror, one of the three sacred items given to the first emperor by the gods._

**Oops, I'm so sorry this had so many footnotes -**** hope it didn't hinder your comprehension of the story! The number would definitely decrease as the story progresses. Just so you know (didn't want to add it in as _another_ footnote), _samurai_s refer to the people at the highest social level of the society at that time (besides the shogūn, and daimyō, that is). It doesn't necessary mean someone who knows_ kenjūtsu_ (art of the sword), as is our common conception of _samurai_s, but in Renji's case, he _is _experienced with the sword.**

**On a side note, I had the most excruciating time typing all the _ō_s and _ū_s. Writing in a first-person perspective was kind of new to me, too. **

**Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!(:**

**See you next time. _At the wedding._**


	3. Chapter 2

**『私の姫を呼び出し人』**

**第二章：結婚**

_Marriage_

Abarai Renji decided that the wedding that was due to start anytime now was _not_ the wedding he had imagined for himself.

First and foremost, it had to do with the venue. Renji had always believed that he would be married in a modest little shrine but he was currently standing in _Kōtai Jingū_, the huge inner shrine of the _Ise Jingū*, _a sacred place only accessible to the imperial family. While the furthest regular commoners could go was the gate, they were _in_ the shrine, past the tall wooden fences that bordered it and under its distinctive thatched roof.

'_They'_ referring to Renji and the other wedding guests – which was another reason in itself. The _samurai_ that was once a street urchin had no family whatsoever, so it would be safe to presume that scarcely anyone would attend his wedding, at the very most only the Fujitsubo family. But the shrine was at the moment filled with people, on both sides of the aisle. And not just ordinary people – the people present were clothed in rich, purple and yellow _kimono_s – the colour of royalty. And while Renji could already feel himself fidgeting with impatience, these guests continued to bide their time in sophisticated silence, waiting for the same person to arrive.

Yep, definitely not how he'd imagined_ his_ wedding to turn out.

_Then again, the wedding was not his._

"_She's here,"_ someone whispered from the crowd, and the samurai turned his redhead, as did many others, towards the stone steps that led up to the shrine. _She would appear at the side_, he noted to himself. Having taken the steps to the shrine himself, he knew that guests were required to keep to the sides as the middle was set-aside for the goddess _Amaterasu-ōmikami_. Within moments, a figure clothed entirely in white appeared at the top of the steps, and instantly, hushed murmurs ran through the crowd.

"_There she is, the bride."_

"_Fujitsubo Kōyō."_

"_She's stunning."_

_She's absolutely exquisite_, Renji agreed silently, watching the figure's slow progression to the mouth of the shrine. Dressed in a _shiromuku_, the traditional all-white women _kimono_, and with the ivory-painted skin accentuating her cherry lips and bright eyes, the Fujitsubo girl looked extremely pure and flawless. Renji knew that this particular getup was to declare the bride's maiden status to the gods, and as white could be dyed with any colour, it also symbolised the bride's readiness to be dyed with the colour of the groom. In addition to these, the Fujitsubo girl bore a _wataboshi_ on her head, a white hood-like hat that, besides serving to hide her face from any other person except her groom, also concealed her long hair effectively.

_Hime must have liked that,_ he mused to himself. He would never forget how often the girl complained about how plain her hair looked, why it couldn't have taken on the ebony black sheen that her mother owned. She had, to her sore disappointment, inherited her father's chestnut brown, along with his ash grey eyes.

Renji didn't mind, though. In fact, he quite liked the way the hazel tresses fell around her heart-shaped face. He would have made some smart comment then about the headgear, probably along the lines of _'That's a befittingly huge hat for a big-headed person like you, Hime'_, but he would never have the chance to do so.

Instead, he continued watching as she came to a hesitant stop next to the man donning a charcoal black kimono, before offering a slow, sweet smile up at him. Renji knew, that if the same smile were directed at him, his knees would have gone weak.

But her groom, Kuchiki Byakuya, did not smile back.

* * *

There existed two types of marriages in Japan: _miai_, marriages resulting from an arranged introduction, and _ren'ai_, marriages between two people who meet and fall in love on their own accord.

I should consider myself blessed to have my marriage to be of the latter.

As I slowly walked down the length of the shrine, placing one foot carefully in front of the other, I recalled my first encounter with the man next to me.

_My first time I met Kuchiki Byakuya was during my stay in Edo last year. There was a system amongst the _daimyō_s called the _Sankin-kotai_, a custom that required all major _daimyō_s to spend at least four months out of every year living in Edo, in order for the _Shogūn_* to keep an eye on them and test their loyalty. My family traveled there every summer, accompanied by dozens of servants, and we took up residence within the grounds of the _Edo-jō_*. Last summer, the _Kōtei_* came down from Kyōto to visit the _Shogūn,_ and simultaneously dropped by some of the more important _daimyō_s' lodgings in the _Edo-jō_ for political purposes. Otō-sama was one of those he visited. _

_The morning of the _Kōtei_'s visit passed by in a busy hustle to prepare the house, the maids fussing over my hair, having to fit into yet another uncomfortable_ kimono_ to be presentable for our guests. _

_At four o' clock in the afternoon, we all gathered at the front gates to welcome the _Kōtei. _He came, ten minutes later, with a group of elaborate, horse-drawn carriages, surrounded by an even larger group of servants. The biggest carriage drew to a stop right in front of us and a servant helped a well-aged man dressed in a yellow _kimono_ down the carriage. We fell to our knees in front of him, and I could hear _otō-sama_ saying _'Irasshaimase, Kōtei-sama. Welcome' _beside me. _

"_Rise," the _Kōtei'_s voice rang in a loud, clear voice above us. "Your hospitality is well-received." _

"_Dōzo," otō-sama gestured to the inside of the house and we led the group past the courtyard, and into the reception room. Out of the corner of my eyes, I caught a flash of red in the far corner of the yard, as Renji eyed the guests with curiosity. After the _shōji_ doors were closed behind us, I proceeded to pour tea for the _Kōtei_ the man seated next to him, and my family (the servants were left outside the door). After which, I retreated to _otō-sama_ and _okā-sama'_s side and knelt down on one of the cushions, keeping my head bowed all the while._

"_Arigatō," the Kōtei murmured with defined grace as he put the tiny teacup to his mouth. "The tea is good."_

"_Iie," otō-sama accepted the thanks gratefully. "The tealeaves came from Miyama, the place we are from. My daughter grew them herself." I felt myself blushing at the compliment. Otō-sama enjoyed his tea very much so I regularly brewed it for him in the afternoons. The leaves, along with many other medicinal plants, were grown and cultured in my small herbal garden in the backyard._

"_Miyama? That's not too far from Kyōto, is it?" The conversation progressed and I bid my silence, as I was instructed to. Once in a while, I snuck brief glances at the _Kōtei_, the esteemed ruler of Japan. He had a head of sleek black, though the common gray streaks betrayed his age. But they weren't so obvious under his intricate headgear, that added to his height and formidableness. One could tell underneath his silk robes that he was a little on the plump side. Potbellies were supposed to be an indication of wealth but I disagreed – _otō-sama_ was certainly not fat._

_Next, I examined the man sipping his tea silently next to him. The_ Kōtei _had introduced him as his son, which made him the _ōji_, the prince. With a straight, dignified posture, a shock of ebony hair that reached his shoulders, and an elegant _kimono_ that seemed to accentuate his sharp and ivory features, he was everything I imagined the ōji to look like. For a brief moment, our eyes met (his eyes were gray, a shade darker than mine, I noticed), and I immediately dropped my gaze, abashed, as a snippet of conversation caught my interest._

"_So, Fujitsubo-san," the _Kōtei _started. "Is it true, what they say about you distributing a portion of your wealth to the residents of Miyama?" _

_I observed the sudden tightness in _otō-sama_'s jaws as he replied firmly, "Hai."_

"_Ah," the _Kōtei_ exclaimed, his voice lofty. "But why waste precious resources on these..._commoners_...when you can put it into better use?" _

_In a few short moments, the tension in the room had reached a point where it was palpable. I watched _otō-sama _sipping his tea carefully, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. After a long pause, he set down the teacup on the wooden table and drew a deep breath._

_But before he could speak, I cut in. "Anō..."_

"_I wouldn't call it 'wasting resources', Kōtei-sama." My head continued to be bowed but my voice was steady. "You see, the villagers are mainly farmers and do not earn much, hardly enough to scrape by. Yet they are the ones who form the foundation and sustain the village. Otō-sama is merely aiding them in fulfilling that role by giving them the support they need-"_

"_Enough, Kōyō." Otō-sama's command was sharp. But by then, words were already spewing out of my mouth and I couldn't stop if I tried._

"_-And they aren't just _'commoners'_, they are the people of Miyama, _our_ people, and they deserve just as much as we do-" Renji's face flashed across my mind and I pushed on, my voice now shaking, not with fear, but with emotions. "-So, no, otō-sama isn't wasting his resources. Instead, he's giving these people a life, reciprocating the respect that they give him, as you, being the _Kōtei_, should be doing as well-"_

"Mō ii!"_ Otō-sama said again, with his voice raised this time, stunning me into silence. His gray eyes shot a piercing glare at me. "Kōyō, leave the room now."_

"_But-"_

"_I said to leave the room _now_!" his voice rang again and I stopped. I bowed my head one last time before standing up and withdrew from the room, my face burning with shame. As I hurried down the corridor, avoiding the curious gazes the servants directed at me, I overheard the _Kōtei'_s booming laugh, followed by, "That's a spirited daughter you've got there."_

_I could imagine otō-sama bowing his head as his reply drifted down the corridors. "She doesn't know her rightful place yet. Please forgive her, Kōtei-sama."_

_I continued to stride through the building angrily, my cheeks coloured in defiance. _Well, it was true._ I wasn't about to let anyone demean otō-sama like that, even if it was the ruler of Japan. _He had no right to put down the villagers too,_ my mind jumped once again to Renji and I wondered where we was._

_I found him near the gate a few minutes later, spying on the _Kōtei_'s guards posted outside. "They're so still," he whispered to me as I approached. "It's like they all turned into statues or somethi- Hey, what's wrong? Yer okay?" He stopped in alarm as he noticed my grim expression. I chose not to answer._

"_Let's practice _kyūjutsu_," my voice came out flat, determined. _Kyūjutsu_, the art of the bow, was something I had been learning and trying to master the past few years. As part of his training as a _samurai_, Renji was well versed in both _kyūjutsu _and _kenjutsu_, with the latter being his stronger suit. I had begged and pleaded him to teach me at least one of them and though he was reluctant at first, given that women practicing any form of martial art were frowned upon by society, he had finally relented when I pointed out that knowing a bit of self-defense wouldn't hurt. ("Just _in case I'm not there to protect you, hm?_") He had originally started out teaching me _kenjutsu_ but it yielded disastrous results and we were forced to turn to _kyūjutsu _instead. Surprisingly, I grasped the basics rather quickly and though Renji occasionally still complained about me not pulling back my shoulders enough, I had a firm stance, steady arms, and was all in all not a bad shooter. From then on, whenever Renji trained with the bow, I would be there beside him, sometimes even requesting for more practice during our free times. _

_Renji didn't ask questions a second time as we returned to the compound to grab our bows and arrows. It was one of the things I enjoyed about him – despite his appearance he could be quite tactful at times. Though it didn't matter as I would eventually tell him anyway. As he set up the target in the courtyard, I pulled experimentally at the string of my bow. Unlike the tealeaves, this had not come from Miyama but had instead been bought in Edo. Truthfully, the original one fitted into my palm better but this would have to suffice. _

_The thought of my hometown triggered the memory of the conversation from before and in a rush of anger, I immediately pulled an arrow out of the shaft holder, put it to the bowstring, pulled and let go. The arrow, without prior proper aiming, sliced through the air and lodged itself two inches from the bull's-eye. I let out a frustrated grunt and let out two more successive shots, each further and further away from the target. _

"_Whoa, someone's angry at somethin'," Renji commented, eyebrows raised, as he walked over to pluck out the arrows._

More like at some_one, I thought to myself, returning the arrows he passed to the shaft holder. _

"_Calm down, Kō-chan," Renji continued, the end of his lips curled up in an amused smile. "Don't let your emotions affect your shots. Come, try again." He pulled an arrow out of the holder and handed it to me. Putting it to the bow again, I heeded his advice and tried to relax my shoulders, pulling back my shoulders as far as it could go and adjusting the angle of the arrow. Once the target was locked on, I inhaled deeply and..._

Woosh.

_The arrow flew through the air and struck the bulls-eye. I allowed myself to exhale._

"_There ya go," Renji grinned, admiring the good shot. "Say, ya hungry? Why don't I go and grab us some afternoon tea?" _

_The mention of afternoon tea served only to upset me again but I hid it and managed to squeeze out a smile. "Arigatō." Renji looked confused for a moment (he had always been apt at discerning my emotions) but didn't question it further and left. _

_After he was gone, I drew another arrow. Inhaling deeply again, I flexed my shoulders back and stretched the string as far as it could go. The arrow was now at my eye level and I aligned it carefully with the red dot in the distance. _Deep breaths, deep breaths...

"_Is it not of great discomfort – shooting in a_ kimono_?"_

_I jolted at the voice and accidentally released the arrow – it flew through the air and lodged itself in the wall next to the target. I let out a small cry of disappointment and whipped around to see who had distracted me. A figure stood on the veranda, shrouded in its shadows, but it was only when he stepped down that I recognised him for who he was._

_The _Kōtei_'s son, the _ōji.

"_Ōji-sama!" I exclaimed in surprise and hastily knelt down. _How long had he been there for?

"_You have no need to kneel before me," his voice was emotionless but not empty, cool but not unwarm. I straightened up hesitantly, bowing my head to avoid his gaze. _What was his reaction towards my outburst just now? _I struggled to recall but came up with nothing except his usual stoic expression._

"_Fujitsubo Kōyō, was it?" He continued, and I nodded slowly. "That's a fair shot over there." I lifted my head up slightly to see that he was referring to the single arrow still stuck in the bulls-eye. "How long have you been dabbling in the arts of _kyūjutsu_?"_

"_Around three years, ōji-sama," I answered politely. _What was his opinion on a female like me practicing _kyūjutsu?_ _It had been a surprise to both Renji and me when otō-sama had not disallowed me from taking up the martial art, even going to the extent of suggesting Renji accompanied me down to the village to help me select my bow. But we couldn't expect _everyone_ to share similar responses._

"_Interesting," came his reply and I breathed out a sigh of relief at him not condemning my actions. "You looked experienced."_

"_A-Arigatō gozaimasu," I felt my cheeks heating up at his words and I stumbled over my uttered thanks. As I did so, I noticed Renji, with a tray in his hands, emerging from the veranda behind him but stopping in his tracks as he caught sight of my new company, eying us warily from the side. _

_The_ ōji_ must have heard him as well, because his next words were, "I should take my leave. Till the next time we meet, Fujitsubo Kōyō." And before I had a chance to respond he turned, his silk robes whipping about him, and prepared to re-enter the building. _

_But before he left, he hesitated slightly and looked back. "It might do you well to be aware of the hole in your robes."_

_Immediately after he was out of sight, I buried my face into my hands and let out a wail of dismay. _

"_What happened?" Renji asked as he approached. After I explained to him, an amused grin formed on his face._

"_Ii ja, can't ya just get a servant to mend it for you or somethin'?" At least he knew not to have me do the sewing – the first and last time I tried mending his clothes for him, we ended up being forced to throw the article of clothing away._

"_It's not about the hole!" I cried out, still distressed. "It's about him _seeing me with that hole_, don't you understand? The _ōji, _out of all people!" Renji's eyebrows were still raised in amusement and I let out an exasperated sigh._

"_Relax, Kō-chan," he said, and there was a hint of laughter to his voice. "Be glad that the hole was on the shoulder seam and not anywhere else. Imagine if it had appeared on the chest area, that would have been-"_

_A whack at him with my bow shut him up. After a few more practice shots, I was called in to bid goodbye to the _Kōtei,_ and I returned inside the house. As I watched the company leave, my mind continued to dwell on my meeting with the _ōji_. _'Fujitsubo Kōyō, was it?'_ he had asked in the dignified manner of a prince, and though I hadn't confirmed his name with him, I could remember it as clear as day._

_Byakuya. Kuchiki Byakuya._

Back in the present, Byakuya and I exchanged weddings vows as our families faced each other along the aisle. Next came the part of the ceremony I was most fearful of – the drinking of nine cups of _sake_. I suppressed a gulp as I stared at the two trays and the nine tiny cups placed on each. Byakuya reached for one on his and I did so too, praying silently that I would be able to match his pace.

By the fifth cup, I was already feeling slightly giddy. I had an awfully dismal level of tolerance to alcohol, much unlike Renji's and the cook's, something we discovered during a _sake_-drinking contest amongst the three of us. It ended up with Renji having to carry an semi-unconscious me back to my room (he was slightly drunk then but completely sobered up when I vomited all over him) and I took heed to steer clear of alcohol ever since.

But I held on and after an agonising long while, we finished and both of us turned back to face the guests. The ceremony was followed with each of our _otō-sama_s (they were both _ours,_ now) introducing the respective family members and it was time for us, the married couple, to walk back down the aisle, and for me to get changed into a second kimono for the reception.

But as I walked down the steps, a wave of dizziness washed over me me - I stumbled in my _zōri_*, lost my footing, and plunged towards the ground.

"_Hime!"_ I heard Renji shouting from within the crowd. But he was too far away, unable to catch me this time. My eyes fluttered close as I prepared myself mentally for the impact.

Except it never came.

My eyes opened sharply when I felt two arms of support wrapping around my middle, stabilising me and preventing my fall. I looked up and I saw Kuchiki Byakuya, my now wedded husband, holding me firmly.

"Do be careful," he gently chastised, and I thought I saw a small twitch to the corner of his lips. That would be the first inkling of expression I saw from him today. I thanked him hastily, my face burning red with embarrassment_ (Tripping over myself in front of the entire imperial family!) _before regaining what little dignity I have left and followed him down the stairs. I tried to avoid seeing the gazes that were for sure directed at me and instead focused on the man beside and slightly ahead of me. His straight posture, his firm strides, his elegant composure – he would never make a slip-up like I did.

Would I ever be as perfect as him?

_The second time I met Kuchiki Byakuya was under unexpected circumstances. _

_Back in Miyama, Renji accompanied me down to the village every week to visit the villagers. Though the village was occupied with farmers and merchants, they lacked a healer so I, who was following in her mother's footstep and studying medicine, decided one day to be theirs. The purpose of these visits was to check up on them and if anyone were ill or injured, he or she would be brought to me to be treated. It was another way to get to know the villagers better. When we came to Edo, though I was a bit hesitant at first, Renji convinced me to carry out the same routine._

_It was in Edo where one day, after seeing to the patients in the town that a group of young children ran over and tugged excitedly at my sleeves._

"_Kōyō-nē-san! Come play ball with us!" _

"_Please! Onegai!"_

_I shot a glance at Renji and he returned it with a wry shrug. "Hai, hai, I'll play with you. But only for a while, alright?" The second sentence was drowned out by the children's cheers as they dragged me to an open ground nearby. We started a game of soccer and were in the midst of playing when one of the boys aimed an overly powerful kick that slipped through the defense of the other kids and rolled away from us. We chased after it but the ball continued staying ahead of us and eventually rolled onto the road, lost momentum and came to a stop. __At that moment, there were some horse-drawn carriages travelling down the road, but one of the younger boys, too engrossed in retrieving the ball to notice, ran into the middle of the road and snatched the ball up._

"_Gotcha!" he cried out in glee, but in that instant, the carriages were upon him and with a loud neigh, the front horses reared up in panic. The boy could only watch in shocked terror as the horses were seconds to stamping him but at the last moment, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the way. As the boy continued to shake from the aftershock, I held him tightly against me, rubbing his back to soothe him._

"_Kō-chan! Ya okay?" Hearing the commotion, Renji rushed up to me and asked, brows furrowed in concern._

"_I'm alright, reall-" I replied but my sentence faded away as a servant stomped out from behind the carriage and started raising his voice at us._

"_Which blundering fool had the nerve to obstruct the path of the great ōji of Japan?" Renji started to unsheathe his _katana _in defense but I placed a hand on his arm to stop him._

"_It's okay," I reassured him, before turning back to the servant, who had stumbled a few steps back when Renji reached for a weapon. "Sumimasen, we were playing and the ball rolled onto the road. We didn't mean to cause you any inconvenience."_

"_Inconvenience?! You called that '_inconvenience_'?! You could have caused an accident and harmed the ōji, y-you-"_

"_Mō ii, Kobayashi."_

_A dark head emerged from the carriage and I almost let out a gasp as I gazed into the familiar eyes of Kuchiki Byakuya. "No one was harmed so you may leave it be."_

"_Ōji-sama!" I quickly knelt down, as did Renji beside me, though his was more reluctant. I could sense the dark eyes appraising me as the servant named Kobayashi looked on smugly._

"_Fujitsubo Kōyō," Byakuya finally said. "We meet again." I dared a peek at his face but it bore no emotions whatsoever. _

"_W-We were just on our way home, ōji-sama," I managed to make out. Another moment of silence passed._

"_Rise," the prince commanded. "Kobayashi, Fujitsubo-san will join me in my carriage and we'll drop her off at her lodging when we reach the _Edo-jō._ Her servant can walk beside us." He turned to re-enter the carriage but before he did, I blurted out,_

"_He's not a servant." When he looked back again with a single raised eyebrow, I explained. "Renji's my guardian, a _samurai_." Byakuya shot the said red-haired male a fleeting look before saying "Very well, then" and disappeared inside the carriage. Renji and I exchanged glances before I followed him, remembering to utter my thanks. _

_The ride back to the _Edo-jō_ was passed in silence, save for the tiny bits of polite conversation that both of us attempted to make. Upon reaching the Fujitsubo compound, I stepped off, once again thanked Byakuya and bid goodbye._

"_Matte," he commanded for me to stop. "Before you go, there is something I was planning to pass to you during my visit here – a gift. Bring it over." A servant approached with a purple cloth package. Upon uncovering the cloth (it felt like silk), my eyes fell on the most beautiful set of _kimono_ I've ever seen, tawny-red and printed with flowery designs, complete with its equally exquisite _obi.

"_To replace your old one," Byakuya explained, and there was a small smile to his voice._

"_I-I can't accept this, ōji-sama," I whispered, still in awe from the magnificent set of robes before me._

"_I insist," was his firm reply, and I had no choice but to thank him profusely. Before long, he had left and Renji came over to stare down at the _kimono_ still held gingerly in my hands._

"_That's some fancy stuff," he said, wrinkling his nose. "Would it actually fit?"_

_His response was starkly different from okā-sama's, when I reported to her and otō-sama what had happened that afternoon. Upon hearing about the gift, she clapped her hands together and cried out, "That's wonderful, Kōyō-chan! Ōji-sama has shown some interest towards you!"_

"_Shizune, I don't think-"_

"_Oh don't be a wet blanket, Kōichi. He did give her a _kimono_, and Kōyō-chan surely is interested in him as well. Imagine being married off to the imperial family! What an honour that would be..."_

_The rest of the conversation passed in a similar manner as I remained silent and mulled over my thoughts. _Did the ōji really harbor feelings for me?

"_You aren't really, are ya?" Renji had questioned once I stepped out of the room and slid the door close behind me. _

"_Aren't what?" I blinked, confused._

"_Interested in the _ōji_."_

"_You know," I said with a hint of condescendence, as I finally understood what he was saying. "You really should stop eavesdropping on our conversations. Some people do appreciate their privacy."_

"_Warui," Renji replied, without a trace of apology, as he motioned to the _shōji_ doors. "These walls are so thin, it's hard not to catch what y'all say." Then, his inked brows furrowed and he asked again. "So are ya?" I turned and started walking down the corridor, Renji right behind me. _

"_No," I had replied, but as Renji let out a sigh of relief, exclaiming '_Yokkata, that's great'_, and went on to talk about how _okā-sama_ was speaking ridiculous things again, and that Kuchiki Byakuya didn't suit me _anyway_, I was overcome by a feeling of unease, a feeling that I wasn't so sure._

"Hime-sama," a young girl servant greeted me smilingly as I entered the dressing room. "You did splendid just now."

"Arigatō," I smiled back. "Hinamori, was it?"

"Hai," was the girl's reply. "At your service, Hime-sama." I felt myself stiffen at that address again.

"Please don't call me by that."

Hinamori looked momentarily confused. "But the redhead samurai-san at the ceremony addressed you that way."

"Renji?" I snorted. "He's the only one who refuses to listen to me. 'Kōyō' would do, really."

Hinamori giggled softly, and I instantly decided that I liked her. "As you wish, Kōyō-sama." She led me cautiously to a stool and started removing the _wataboshi_ and undoing my hair. I sat patiently still as her gentle fingers ran through my brown tresses, freeing it of any tangles.

"Ano Renji-san," Hinamori suddenly said. "He's quite charming." And as if she'd realised what she had said, she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes widened in shock. "Sumimasen! I didn't mean to say that out loud."

Seeing her this way, I burst into laughter. "It's fine, Hinamori-chan, I sometimes blurt out things not meant to be said too." And as the servant girl relaxed, I continued. "Renji, charming? Seriously, I don't get to meet many boys my age so I wouldn't know. But I should guess so? Why, are you interested in him?" Hinamori turned red at my teasing, and quickly tried to change the topic.

"Please take off your robes now, Kōyō-sama." I chuckled and obliged, and didn't probe any further as she helped me into a crimson red kimono and re-did my hair.

_The third time I met Kuchiki Byakuya, he had requested specially for a visit to visit my home in Miyama. Upon receiving the news that he was coming, I dressed up in the _kimono_ he gave, tied up my hair in a presentable braid, and spent the entire morning trying to quell the fluttering feeling in my stomach. When he finally arrived, otō-sama suggested I brought him around on a tour of the village, before returning and showing him the inside of our huge compound._

"_So," Byakuya started as we strolled down the streets together, side-by-side. "These are the villages of Miyama, _your_ people." He was making reference to my words to the _Kōtei _during the first meeting, and I coloured slightly, unsure if he was mocking me._

"_Hai," I decided to answer in the end. "Yes, they are."_

"_I see," was his cool reply and I thought I caught a faint smile gracing his noble features, though it disappeared as quickly as it came. I felt a sudden warmth emitting from within me at that sight._

_When we had walked once through around the village and the house, we came to a fnal stop at the maple tree within the compound. It was autumn and the tree was covered in a beautiful red-brown coat of maple leaves. _

"_Thank you for showing me around today, Fujitsubo Kōyō," Byakuya said, and I bowed my head in response._

"_Iie, it's nothing. Thank _you_ for coming to visit us today." _Why though? What was the purpose of his visit?

_As I was pondering, a gust of wind blew by, and the tree towering above us shed a few of its red leaves, one of which landed softly on my head. I chuckled lightly and reached up to brush it away, but Byakuya beat me to it. He elegantly picked the single leaf off my head, his dark eyes appraising it before he placed it carefully behind my left ear, using it to clip my brown tresses back. I felt my face heating up at his contact and warm action. _

"_It's beautiful," he said, his voice still void of emotions, but there was a tiny, gentle, curl to his lips. A flower of happiness blossomed within me as I allowed his comment to sink in. He could have very well been referring to the maple leaf._

_But I allowed myself to believe that he was referring to me._

"Hey, Hime."

I turned around (carefully, I didn't want to crease the scarlet _kimono _unnecessarily), and came face to face with Abarai Renji. He had a small cup in his hand, and was donning a midnight blue _kimono_ with a dragon design over it. (He had jokingly complained about not having a ceremonial _kimono_ beforehand and suggested attending the marriage in his flowery night robes. Unfortunately, or fortunately for him, he was overhead by otō-sama and the man immediately saw to his 'attire issue'.) His forehead tattoos were covered with a dark purple bandanna, probably something otō-sama had instructed him to wear as well, but one could still see the black lines peeping out from above and beneath the fabric.

"Hey," he said again, offering me a crooked grin.

Hinamori was right. He _was_ quite charming,

But immediately after that thought popped into my head, I sternly scolded my mind for thinking that. I was now a married woman, to the _ōji_, nonetheless, and I was not allowed to think of other males in that manner.

Instead I greeted courteously, "_Konbanwan. _Good evening."

Renji stiffened slightly at my politeness, before relaxing into another grin and asking, "Mind refilling for me?" He held out his empty cup. I picked up a black bottle from one of the tables nearby and poured him another cup of _sake_.

As I did so, I chatted on happily, "I saw the _Meoto Iwa*_ on my way here, Renji. Do you think that's supposed to be a good omen?"

The cup Renji was holding started suddenly trembling and bewildered, I looked up at the redhead. "Dōshitano? What is it?" I immediately noticed that Renji had became quite nervous, his free hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck, his gaze averted away from me.

"I..I haven't exactly given you my well wishes yet, have I?" He chewed out slowly, as I further noticed..._was that a blush on his cheeks?_ "So, um, congratulations in your marriage, Hime. _Omedetō._"

I was stunned for a moment at his words, then broke into a bright smile. "Arigatō, Renji." The _samurai_ mumbled something incoherent along the lines of _'Don't mention it'_ before retreating hastily. He was definitely blushing, now.

I turned back to the rest of the reception, and quickly found Byakuya again, conversing politely with some of my family members. He sensed me watching him and his dark gray eyes met mine for a slight second.

I smiled back at my husband.

_The fourth time Byakuya came to visit my home, he imparted his knowledge of _kyūjutsu _to me, which was more than what I had ever learnt from Renji. That afternoon passed exceptionally quickly._

_The fifth time he came, it was with a marriage proposal. And that was the start of my betrothal._

_That was also the time when Renji started calling me Hime._

* * *

_*Though Ise Jingū translates to 'Ise Grand Shrine', it actually refers to a shrine complex comprising a large number of Shinto shrines centred on two main shrines, Naikū (__内宮__)__ and Gekū __(__外宮__). Naikū is also officially known as Kotai Jingū, the name of its main shrine.  
__*Shogūn: Main military leader of Japan, one who holds the highest level of authority next to the Emperor. (Though Emperors are the authority heads, their reign of power is actually quite limited, so the Shogūn does the most of the ruling.)  
__*Edo-jō: Edo Castle  
__*Kōtei: Emperor (how the people address him, anyway)  
__*Zōri: Pair of white slippers that is part of the Shiromoku attire.  
__*Meoto Iwa: "The Wedded Rocks", two sacred rocks in the ocean on the road to the Ise Jingū that represents husband and wife._

**Really sorry for the delayed update - I was overseas. Also, this was a rather hell-ish chapter to type for me and spent quite a long time mulling over it. I apologise for its length and applaud you if you have read through the entire thing. The next chapter will be much shorter, I promise.** **Please keep reading on!**

**Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!(:**


	4. Chapter 3

**『私の姫を呼び出し人』**

**第三章：徹夜**

_Sleepless Night_

_We were under the maple tree in the Fujitsubo compound – Byakuya and I. I wasn't sure how we ended up there, but we were, and the red-brown leaves indicated that it was autumn. A gust of wind blew by and the branches danced in the wind, the leaves emitting soft rustling sounds. A leaf floated down and I watched in slow motion as it landed lightly on my head. I could already predict what would happen before Kuchiki Byakuya reached up and picked the single leaf from my head, tucking it behind my ear. _

"_It's beautiful," he said, his dark eyes gazing into mine._

_It was a flashback, a memory from the past. Except, it felt different, _off_, somehow, as if I was missing something important. At that moment, I heard a low, whining sound from behind the tree, and I pushed past Byakuya to investigate. The maple leaves had mostly fallen on this side and accumulated into a considerable pile of dead leaves. At first glance, I thought it was all there was to it, but then something amongst the leaves moved and I let out a gasp._

_There, with its tawny fur blending into the sea of red, lay a severely-injured dog._

_It had collapsed on its side, with blood spilling out from various wounds over its body, dying the leaves below it a darker shade of red. Its eyes were closed, its chest rising with each labored breath, and once in a while, a whimper emitted from its throat. You could tell from its scraggly and unkempt fur that it was a stray._

"_What happened to you?" I heard myself crying out as I dropped to my knees in front of it in dismay. Tears rushed to my eyes as I gently ran my hands over the dog's body to check its wounds, only to ascertain the fact that it was beyond saving. _

_Feeling the presence of another being, the dog's ears gave a little twitch, before the creature tilted its head to look up at me, simultaneously opening its eyes. Upon seeing them, I instinctively reeled back with a yelp, losing my balance as I did so._

_A pair of all-too familiar golden-brown eyes stared back at me in anguish._

As my bottom impacted the ground, I was jerked awake and found myself back in my room in the _Kyōto-gosho,_ the Imperial Palace in Kyōto. It was a room that both Byakuya and I shared.

Speaking of Byakuya...

I turned and saw my husband sleeping soundly next to me, his slender fingers interlocked together and lying above his chest in their usual position. I had always wondered how he managed to remain so still in his sleep. As for me, it usually took me a while of tossing and turning under the covers to be able to fall asleep, and even then I wasn't able to guarantee that I wouldn't move while sleeping. But ever since sharing a _futon_ with Kuchiki Byakuya, I had attempted to reduce my movements in bed, for fear of disrupting his slumber.

Fortunately, it appeared that I had not disturbed him with my abrupt awakening, for he remained still, his breaths deep and even. Now that I had truly awaken, I could feel the perspiration sliding down my cheeks and my hands slick with sweat. Though the servants had changed the blankets to the thinner ones, the heat of the early summer continued to press down on me.

After a moment of lying in bed, trying to calm my heartbeat enough to fall back asleep, I decided that the air in the room had become too stifling and carefully crawled out of the _futon_. _I would take a short walk, try to catch some breeze, and return to sleep,_ I told myself. So I slipped out of the room barefooted (I had stared at the _tabi_ left at the door but deemed it too hot to be wearing socks of any sort), and slid the door close noiselessly behind me. I pressed my ear to the door and listened hard to the sounds inside the room. Byakuya seemed to still be asleep. Good, he wouldn't even notice that I was gone. For a brief moment, I wondered if he would _ever_ notice whenever I leave, but I quickly reprimanded myself and squashed that thought.

Outside, I was disappointed to find that the air was as still as it was inside the room. In a few days, we would be moved to the _Osuzumisho_, the summer residence for the imperial family, located in the cooler part of the palace, but till then, there were more sweltering days to be endured.

A few years back, on sleepless nights like these, it would have been my custom to seek refuge in Renji's room and spend the night.

_This habit only started in my seventh year. I could recall it clearly as it was the night of an earthquake. The epicentre was a significant distance away from Miyama (thank god), so no actual damage was done. Nevertheless, the first round of quaking was violent enough to jostle me awake, and being the scaredy-cat I was then, I immediately rushed out of my room and made a beeline for Hiura's room. (Before then, whenever there were thunderstorms, or earthquake tremors much like that one, Hiura would be kind enough to accommodate me for the night in order to quell my fear of being alone. Even at that age I knew not to approach otō-sama for such affection.)_

_I had just walked past the kitchen when the second round of shaking came. Having been taught to grab onto a pillar during an earthquake, I quickly reached for one, but at that moment, I heard a yell and a dark shape came barreling towards me, sending me sprawled across the cold wooden floor. In the darkness, I couldn't tell exactly _what _or _who _it was, but it continued to weigh me down as the tremors lasted. My first reaction was to open my mouth to scream, but this..._thing_, was pressing down on my diaphragm so I could only make out a tiny wheeze. _

"_Kō-chan?!"_

_The voice sounded familiar but in my state of panic my mind was slow in registering who it was. _

"_Is that really ya, Kō- _Wait, don't scream!"

_For the moment the shape had pried itself off me, I had sat up and opened my mouth to let out another scream (a successful one, this time), only to have my mouth clamped shut by someone's hand. Acting on instinct, I struggled and lashed out at my assaulter with flailing arms._

"_Ow! What the hell was that for, Kō-chan?! It's me, Renji!" _

_His name finally sank in and I stilled. The tremors had come to a stop and all was quiet, save for the crickets that had resumed their chirping outside. Renji let out a groan and stood up, reaching out a hand to help me up as his other hand rubbed his cheek. "Damn it, that hurt."_

_I stiffened. "No swearing allowed." The profanities that Renji picked up on the streets were one of the few things I could not tolerate about him. But if anything, I was only afraid that he would be overheard saying it and be punished for his foul mouth, as _otō-sama_ did on occasions. Aristocrats never swear._

_The red-haired boy only groaned again. "Whatcha doing here, Kō-chan?" _

"_The earthquake woke me up," I explained. "I was scared and wanted to go to Hiura-san's room."_

"_He's not here," Renji deadpanned. "He's out with _Shujin-sama_ on a business trip to Edo, remember?" Now that he mentioned it, I recalled that both Hiura and otō-sama wouldn't be back for a week. _

"_Oh," I made out, panic starting to settle in again at the prospect of having to spend the night alone. "Oh."_

_Unfortunately, my distress seemed to go unnoticed by Renji, who yawned and said, "Ja, I'm returning to my room."_

"_Wait!" I hissed as I grabbed his arm, preventing his retreat. "You can't just leave me out here alone!"_

"_Kō-chan," the redhead boy whined. "It's freaking in the middle of the night! What d'ya expect me to do?"_

"_Escort me back to my room," I replied. "Also, don't swear." The second part of my answer was ignored - it seemed that Renji was more prone to spewing out curse words at night._

"_Walk to the other end of the compound and back again? No thanks, man."_

"_Then," I quickly butted in, before he attempted to leave again. "Let me stay in your room...for a night."_

_Renji stilled as he considered the option. "I really don't think ya'd want to," he warned. "It's messy, plus quite small, especially compared to y-"_

_At that moment, a _fusuma_ door slipped open near us and the cook's head appeared, her eyes squinting into the darkness at us. _

"_Is everything alright?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep. "I thought I heard a yell and some scuffling. Did y'all hurt yourself during the earthquake?"_

"_Iie, everything's fine," I replied cheerfully. "Renji was just inviting me to his room-"_

"_Wait, I didn't-"_

"_-So that I wouldn't be alone for the night!" I finished with a flourish, raising my voice to drown out his complaints. _

_Before Renji could tell the cook otherwise, she praised, "Well, isn't that sweet of you, Renji-kun?", leaving him no choice but to oblige. I secretly smiled in triumphant, not that he would see it anyway._

"_I'll leave you two be then," the cook continued, already slipping back into her room. "By the way, Renji-kun, if you were planning to rummage the kitchen for food, I suggest the leftovers from dinner. Don't you dare touch the rolls I'm saving for tea tomorrow, boy." The door slid shut, leaving the two of us alone again._

"_Well," Renji growled out, as he turned to return to his room. "Are ya coming or not?"_

"_A-ri-ga-to-u," I sang out, as I bounded after him. Once he had shut the door behind us and assigned halves to the _futon_ that we would be sharing ("I don't have an extra," he had explained crossly), I recalled something puzzling the cook had mentioned._

"_Why would you be rummaging the kitchen for food at this hour?" I asked curiously, as I slipped into the _futon_ next to him. Renji was turned away from me, and could have already been asleep, but I had a feeling he was just blatantly ignoring the question, which only further intrigued me. A few moments later, I understood._

"_You were scared by the earthquake too, weren't you?" The redhead boy had a strange compulsion to eat whenever he was anxious._

"_W-Was not!" Came his muffled reply, but there was a tone of panic in his voice, which didn't slip past me. "I'm not scared of anything!"_

"_Then why were you outside?" _

_A pause. "Just go to slee-"_

"_So you _were_ scared-"_

"_Was not!"_

The ends of my lips curled up slightly at the memory. In my thirteenth year, my routine of escaping to his room on sleepless nights was abruptly terminated when okā-sama discovered me sleeping in Renji's room one morning after a night spent in Edo. We had already gotten our hands on an extra mattress then so that we could sleep on separate beds, but that still didn't prevent okā-sama freaking out over how _'inappropriate'_ it was, and_ 'what if Abarai-kun had done something to Kōyō-chan'. _Though I had argued that Renji would _never_ take advantage of me, okā-sama hadn't been convinced. (She had never seen eye-to-eye with otō-sama about his decision of taking a street urchin in and had never fully accepted Renji as part of us.) Since then, Renji and I were banned from each other's rooms and I had to find my own way of falling asleep, even till now.

Not that I knew where his current room was, anyway.

Ever since we moved into the _Kyōto-gosho_, my meetings with the redhead _samurai_ had been tremendously limited. It could have been because I had been caught-up in getting accustomed to the life of royalty; it could have been because he himself had been busy adjusting to his new duties as an imperial guard; it could have been because the palace was so huge the chances of stumbling across each other were low; it could even have been because of all of these reasons.

But somehow, it felt as if Renji was purposely avoiding me.

Even if we _did_ come across each other, our interactions were minimised to a simple, polite greeting (though his would be rather stiff, I noticed), before I was rushed off to the next task on my to-do list by my attendants, or he slipped away using _'training'_ as an excuse. The last proper conversation we shared was right before the _Kōtei_'s birthday function a few weeks back, where Renji accidentally bumped into me as I left my room dressed up in a _Jūnihitoe._ (If I ever complaint that _kimono_s were annoying, I took my word back – the _Jūnihitoe, _the twelve-layered ceremonial _kimono_, was the _epitome _of troublesome, not only in putting on but also in wearing.) With the multi-layered robe limiting my movement, I lost my balance and fell onto the ground in a pool of fabric. Renji had to stop and help me up then.

"_Whoa, Hime!" he had exclaimed as he pulled me up. "What have they been feeding ya? You've gotten much heavier!" Though his comment hadn't been snide, I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. My defensive instincts kicked in._

"_It's the _kimono_, baka," I frostily replied. "Didn't you know that a _Jūnihitoe_ has twelve-layers?"_

_I watched as Renji visibly tensed at my condescendence, his eyes narrowing in response. "How would _I _know?" his voice had lost all its usual warmth. "I'm not a noble like _you_ are." _

_At that moment, Hinamori exited my room, let out a cry of dismay upon noticing my creased robes and messed-up hair, and immediately steered me back into the room for a makeover. And as I watched Renji proceed down the corridor out of the corner of my eyes, I felt an uncomfortable bitter feeling rise up my throat._

_I'm not a noble like you are._

His words continued to echo in my mind till now, and I swallowed painfully before taking a look at my surroundings. While I was reminiscing, I had gone wherever my feet carried me and now found myself in the northern wing of the palace, near the servant's quarters. As I rounded another corner, I caught sight of someone familiar sitting on the edge of the veranda, gazing into the night sky.

"R-Renji?"

The redhead turned, and for a moment, his face lit up upon seeing me. He was donning the flowery night robes that had been his since god knows when, his crimson tresses tied into a loose braid hanging past his shoulder. (I had always found it ironic that he was more experienced at braid-tying than I was.) His eyes were a rich golden-brown.

_Golden-brown, like that of the stray in my dream._

But then, the moment quickly passed, and the smile vanished from his face, replaced with a frown. My initial delight and relief at seeing him began to ebb away, and I tasted the same bitter feeling at the back of my mouth again.

"Whatcha doing here, Hime?" Strange, how the same question from ten years ago could feel so different. One might even say that there was a hint of hostility in his voice.

"I couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk," I explained as I cautiously approached him. "May I?"

Renji turned back to gaze into the distance again. For a long while, he didn't answer and I almost panicked at the thought of him not allowing me to join him. Then, he said, "I can't refuse the princess, can I?"

Somehow, that made me feel even worse than if he had refused me.

But I sat down next to him anyway, the wooden boards creaking under our combined weight. There was a gentle breeze here and I swung my feet back and forth in the wind, discovering, with slight pleasure, that Renji was barefooted as well.

"The moon is beautiful today, isn't it?" I said, in an attempt to start a conversation, earning myself a raised eyebrow from my companion.

"I guess," was his short reply, and a period of awkward silence ensued. _It was seldom awkward between Renji and I._

Then, Renji decided to break the silence. "So, how've ya been, Hime?" he asked slowly.

Though I was glad for a second opportunity at conversation, I took my time to reply, choosing my words carefully. "It's been...great! The palace, the food, are all incredibly grand, the ceremonies are absolutely fascinating. The people here are extremely kind to me too, despite me being new...So yeah, it's been really great, staying here!" I had a smile plastered on my face while speaking, but after a while, it became too exhausting to continue forcing it.

"Or at least, that's what I would like to say," I mumbled out, now smiling sadly. At the solicitous gaze from Renji (that would be the first sign of concern he showed towards me ever since we came to Kyōto), I hastily clarified, "It's not like the people here aren't kind! They _are - _Byakuya-sama has been thoughtful and caring; Hinamori-chan has been meticulous and patient...But at the same time, it's been...awfully intimidating...everything."

Taking a breath, I, at last, confessed, "I really miss our home back in Miyama."

"I miss otō-sama, okā-sama, Hiura-san, the cook," I continued, listing them out one by one as I stared up into the night-sky. "Otō-sama's study room, the maple tree, its red-brown leaves, the herbal garden. I also dearly miss our weekly visits to the village to tend to the villagers – I wonder if they miss us as well?" I felt a lump of sorrow rise up my throat, and I almost choked on it as words continued to flow out of my mouth. "H-Here, though we've already been here for a month, everything's still so...foreign, so...different. Everyone expects so highly of me as the _hime_ – to be able to carry myself with grace all the time, to partake in the ceremonies wearing ridiculously-elaborate _kimono_s, to be a submissive and obedient wife to the _ōji –_ and I'm not entirely sure if I can fulfill all those expectations. I'm trying, really, but it's been...so stifling...trying to be someone I'm not and might never be able to become-"

"Why-," Renji suddenly interrupted."-Be someone you aren't when you can just be yourself_?" _

His statement stunned me into silence. _Why, indeed?_ I mused to myself, as I regarded the _samurai_ beside me, my gaze falling on the tattoos that he himself had painstakingly etched across his skin, to signify his street-urchin background. _Why not be someone I truly am?_

"Also," Renji continued when I didn't reply. "If you miss the visits to the village that much, why don't ya just have your own town visits here?" I let the idea sink in.

"You really think I could?" I asked him, a smile slowly blooming across my face. Then, "Would you accompany me?" Renji took a while to ponder the request, his brows slightly creased. Finally, he gave a small shrug.

"Sure, Hime," he answered, with a faint smile. A mini-celebration took place within me.

"Great! I'll ask Byakuya-sama for permission first thing in the morning," I exclaimed. "Arigatō na, Renji." And I continued to babble on excitedly about what we could do, how we could get the people here in Kyōto to warm up to us, with Renji chuckling occasionally and providing his inputs here and there.

A couple of minutes later, a wave of sleepiness washed over me and without thinking, I leaned sideways onto Renji's shoulder. It was then that I was reminded that there was something else that had been absent from my life in the past month.

"I missed you too, Renji." _When was the last time we had sat together and chatted like this? _

I felt Renji stiffening at my contact, at my words, and the bitter feeling built up in my throat again. Then he relaxed and the feeling receded, though I remained weary.

"'S been a hectic month, Hime," his voice was soft, almost distant, as he stared into the night.

"So, how about you?" I asked, now diverting the attention to him. "Are you fitting in well? Have you gotten used to this place yet?" And then, I recalled something and added slyly. "Are the cooks used to your food-nicking yet?"

Renji blinked at me. "I was caught."

"Well, that's not new. Except the cook back home seemed to be thrilled every time she caught you-"

"Ya don't understand, Hime," Renji cut me off, and hurt momentarily registered in my mind at his scathing remark. The redhead _samurai_ must have noticed because his next words came out gentler, though they still bore a grave tone.

"I was caught...and severely punished."

I immediately sat up and stared at him with wide eyes. "P-Punished? How..."

"I was made to promise I would never enter the kitchen again and went without food for four days."

A gasp slipped out of my mouth. "Four?! Oh god, Renji, I'm so sorry...I-I wasn't aware-"

"Of course you weren't," Renji interrupted quickly. "You had yer own princess-matters to attend to."

Though he might have meant it as an assurance that I wasn't to blame, the way he said it only brought pain to me. I struggled to think of something to say that would convince him that I was really sorry, and that I truly, _truly_ cared about what happened to him, but at that moment,

"Kōyō."

A single voice shattered the peace of the night, and I whipped around, immediately widening the gap between Renji and I. I could tell by the arch in his eyebrow that Renji noticed my instinctive behaviour, but he said nothing about it.

He couldn't, anyhow, for Kuchiki Byakuya stood, a little distance behind us, still looking as regal as ever in his night robes and his hair down, fixing both of us with a stare. It was hard to discern the emotion on his face.

"B-Byakuya-sama," I gasped and stood up, suppressing the urge to bow. Byakuya had been the one to tell me to stop bowing politely to him every time I saw him. That, along with calling him _'Byakuya'_ instead of _'ōji-sama'_. Cautiously, I approached him, painfully aware of my bare feet and how he might disapprove of them. "Sumimasen, I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk around the castle and found Renji outside here as well. So we started chatting and-" I abruptly stopped when I felt Byakuya placing a lean, ivory arm around my shoulders gently.

"Return to the room, Kōyō," came his response, and though he did not smile his tone was warm. "We'll make some cinnamon milk from the kitchen along the way, see if something can be done about that insomnia of yours."

"A-Arigatō, Byakuya-sama," I thanked respectfully, slight dazed from his display of affection. "I'll just bid Renji goodnight." A turn to face the _samurai_ once more. "Renji, oyasumi-"

But Renji was already shuffling down the corridor and back to his room.

* * *

**I'd admit - I procrastinated this chapter, only writing bits of it before getting stuck and putting it off. Only today did I sit myself down to complete it (and now I'm half an hour late for my appointment oops). I didn't originally plan for this chapter, but thought that the transition between the previous chapt and the next was too abrupt, hence decided to include this as a sort of filler-thing. I have no idea how it got so long though (at least it wasn't as long as Chapter 2).**

**Somehow, I felt incredibly tensed while writing this chapter, so apologies for any awkward sentences and phrasings. /:**

**Feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated!(:**

**PS. Feeling quite tickled by the fact that the chapter title in Romanji is 'Tetsuya', like 'Kuroko Tetsuya' from Kuroko no Basket (- it's a great anime/manga you should go try it!)**

**PPS. Also extremely proud of the fact that there are no footnote translations! **


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